The Italian referendum went as it was obvious to anyone not blinded by the gods. I decided not to go to vote, it’s the first time I do that, but I couldn’t approve of such a referendum about a change in our Constitution. There were a lot of different aspects to it, most of them of difficult understanding and uncertain execution. The changes proposed were deemed unreasonable and terrible, everybody agreed that it wouldn’t have worked and it was a mess. The costitutional law professors all agreed about this. Can one be pushed into approving of a change to the Constitution that it is going to have obnoxious effects, just so that the government can go on? I don’t think so. I couldn’t bring myself to vote against a progressive, sort of leftish government, and yet, honestly, couldn’t bring myself to vote in favour of such a change. I knew what part would win, my husband, my parents, all voted against it. The Guardian writing that the NO was voted by the right wing and anti-establishment people makes me laugh out loud, I wish it would be that simple! Both my husband and my parents are very much left wing. They believe in politics, they are not anti establishment. People who have always voted for the left, voted against it. Some of my friends, also left wing, who decided to vote in favour of the reform of the Constitution, could only bring themselves to vote that way because they refused to “vote the same as Berlusconi”. So much for believing in the goodness of the reform of the Constitution. So basically on one hand, we are just where we were before, the Constitution is not changed. On another hand, the foreign papers wants to equate this to Brexit or the vote for Trump. No way. This was very much a vote not to change anything, not to change the Constitution. But yes, it has repercussions on the government and so we are in the middle of another crisis, and, as a result, much weaker in Europe. In Europe, these days, everybody is weaker, UK because of Brexit, France and Germany because of elections. At least Austria is bringing back some hope. But in general Europe gives me a dangerous feeling, these days, not our referendum really. I assume we’ll have a new bridge- solution government, a technical one, that will approve the new electoral reform, and then we’ll be back to elections in the spring. And that’s when voting against the right, what’s left of Berlusconi and the populist movement will be important.

Ok, so plan for today:

It’s the opening day of a 3 day conference. I’m going to speak tomorrow morning. Lots of never met before colleagues from the US and Germany. It’s going to be interesting. My aim is to have fun discussing ideas and expand my net.

My talk is still in a quite rough form. But, actually, I think that’s a plus. I want to really consider this occasion as a time for sharing and discuss and develop ideas. Not just present my very polished ones and not learn anything.